Canelo Alvarez – Sergey Kovalev – Results

Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs), the face of boxing and the king of the middleweight division, successfully stopped Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (34-4-1, 28 KOs) in the eleventh round of a 12-round fight to capture the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title and become a four-division world champion. The event took place Saturday, Nov. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and was streamed exclusively live on DAZN.

“I’m very thankful,” said Canelo Alvarez. “This is just a step in my career, in my history, and all I ask of you, is to be patient because Canelo will make history. That’s a guarantee.”

“The plan overall was patience, that was basically it – to have patience. We knew it was going to be five, six rounds and it was going to take some time for me to get him. But honestly he’s a great fighter. I’m new at this weight, new in this division. Much credit to him, he’s a great fighter, but we stuck to our game plan. It was delayed a little bit but overall it was successful.”

“It was a very close fight because he was defensive, he was closing up his guard. All he was doing was trying to establish points, but we knew what was coming. Inevitably it would come, and everything came out the way we had planned.”

“[After this] the plan was to go down to 160, 165, but why not – maybe 175 again.”

“We have to see what happens. We have to do what’s best for us. We have to look for the best fights, the big fights, but obviously give the victories to Mexico.”

On GGG:”It’s really not a challenge to me. We’ve fought 24 rounds and I beat him. It’s really not a challenge for me, but if it represents business, why not?”

“I was tired after round 6, because I had my last fight very close to this one, but it’s okay, it’s a new experience for me,” said Sergey Kovalev. “Canelo is really a great champion. A little bit right now, I didn’t recover from my last fight. But it’s okay. Thanks for the fight Canelo, I have big respect for him. He made history.”

“To open my body less, I had to use more jabs, more safe. I’ll be back. I’ll be back much stronger.”

“I know that I can be a unified champion, let’s make a unification fight. But nobody wants to fight me in my division. This guy is more fresh, he came into my division more fresh. He has more stamina, but it’s okay, it’s a good experience for me.”

In the co-main event, Ryan Garcia (19-0, 16KOs) of Victorville, Calif. stopped “Ruthless” Romero Duno (21-2, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif.via knockout in the first round of a 12-round bout for the WBC Silver and NABO Lightweight Titles. Garcia won with a time of 1:38 of the aforementioned round.

“I feel good,” said Ryan Garcia.”It’s kind of what I expected. All respect to Duno, he came to fight, he came in shape, he caught me with an overhand right and I took it and from there I knew I could keep taking them and keep coming at him. When I took his best shot, I knew alright, I got him. Everybody knows he has a big overhand right, he’s put a lot of people to sleep with that, and then when I took it, I thought – oh okay, that’s what it is. And I felt good from then.”

“He came at me like a bull. I was like damn, oh shoot, I was trying to move out the way. I’m like, okay I’m going to start swinging. I’m going to let mine go then. I tried to fake with the overhand, jab right, bang bang, and it’s over – temple shot. Once you hit the temple, it’s almost over right there. There’s three places to knock somebody out, it’s right in the temple, behind the ear, and right in the chin. You hit anywhere with a solid punch and it’s over.”

“I’m just learning my overall game, footwork, speed, power, I’m just soaking it in. With Canelo there, it’s an honor. It makes me feel good just watching him spar, watching him train. He tells me I’m gonna do good, and I feel good.”

“I just want better competition, the more I step up. I’m only 21 and a lot of people forget that. But I’m going at my pace, whatever I feel I’m ready for, I’ll take on. Those fights down the line are huge fights, once my team feels I’m prepared. I’m always going to listen to my team.”

Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (18-0, 7 KOs) of East Los Angeles, Calif. defeated Marlen Esparza (7-1, 1 KO) of Houston, Texas via technical unanimous decision in the ninth round of a 10-round fight for the WBA Interim Flyweight Title. The fight was stopped in the aforementioned ninth round due to a cut that was caused by an accidental headbutt in the fifth round. Estrada won with scores of 90-81, 89-82 and 88-83.

“I had an amazing training camp and I felt great tonight,” said Seniesa Estrada.”Head butt or not, I still whooped her ass every round. I didn’t really target it too much. I felt great, I’m made for the late rounds. I can go 15 rounds, take it back old school.”

“It didn’t’ change my fight. l I fought with a gash on my head, blood was dripping down my face, I still won the rounds because I’m a fighter, that’s what I do.”

Rematch?”I mean, no, I clearly won every round head butt or not, and I mean, this isn’t even my weight class. I came up to fight her.”

“Of course there’s a difference because I walk around at 113, 112. Every week here in Vegas, I was eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She was underestimating me, I don’t hit like a 108 pounder. I hit like a middleweight. I would like to go to 108 pounds and fight one of the champions there. I want belts.”

“No, the beef is not settled. Respect to her team, but I still don’t like her.”

On the head butt:”You know, it was early,” said Marlen Esparza.”So I was really trying to decide if it was ok or not. I’m sorry guys I couldn’t continue but I couldn’t see anything. I could have stopped after the 3rd round, 4th round, whenever it happened, but it was really hard to deal with, it was really hard to see. I didn’t think I was losing that many rounds at all though. She says she has a lot of power, she doesn’t, it was a head butt. I continued fighting but I had to stop because I couldn’t see. I think it was a poor decision. Some of the rounds she did win, but it wasn’t like that. I couldn’t see.”

“It was multiple head butts. A lot of times when we were clinging, and you saw me leaning in, it was because she rushed in with the head butt. A lot of times it was making me dizzy. There wasn’t anything I could do with her head, I really thought I was winning. I could have gone two more rounds at the beginning, I was like, I’m just going to keep going. But I couldn’t see. I think it was a bad decision at the end. I didn’t think I lost that many rounds. I want to be sad but I can’t, because I got head butted really early.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t feel that was what was happening at all. I was landing the punches on the outside, she was landing stuff on the inside after she head butted me. I think the score cards were bad. Without that head butt, It would have been a completely different story. It’s unfortunate.”

Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (13-0-1, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Calif. defeated Carlos Ortiz (11-5, 11 KOs) of Torreon, Mexico via TKO in the sixth round of a 10-round fight for the NABF Welterweight Title. Cobbs won with a time of 3:00 of the aforementioned round.

“It was a wonderful performance, I tip my hat off to my opponent,” Blair Cobbs.”He’s a tremendous athlete and had tremendous power. Ortiz took a tremendous shot to the back of my head, but I just got right back up. I got right back on my horse and kept persevering. I’m working and getting better and better every time, there’s nothing I can’t do. Now it’s game time baby. I’m ready for anybody, anytime, anywhere. Nobody can stop me, viva Mexico!”

Evan “Yung Holy” Holyfield (1-0, 1 KO) of Atlanta, Georgia stopped Nick Winstead (0-2) of Abita Springs, Louisianavia TKO in the first round of a four-round middleweight fight. Holyfield won with time of 0:16 of the aforementioned round.

“I feel very good,” said Evan Holyfield. “I was listening to the coach. I didn’t try to force anything and I was just listening to my coach. To all my fans, continue to watch my fans. I’ll get better and better and better.”

“I feel very good,” said Bakhram Murtazaliev.”I was listening to the coach, I didn’t try to force anything and I was just listening to my coach. To all my fans, continue to watch my fans. I’ll get better and better and better.”

“I knew he was tough, he had twice the pro experience I did,” said Tristan Kalkreuth.
“He’s pretty much a veteran but for that being my third fight I think I did good. I wish I put more punches on him and obviously the one thing that boxers want is to get the KO and that didn’t happen but I know this fight is going to help me later down in the road. I want to thank all my Latino fans for coming out here!”

“I feel good. I prepared well for this opponent,” said Meiirim Nursultanov.”I know this guy, tough guy. I was ready and prepared for all 10 rounds. Thank you everybody, I want to say thanks to those that support me. I want to say hello to Kazakhstan, I love you.”

Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (3-0, 3 KOs) of Indio, Calif. stopped Clay Collard (4-2-3, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada via TKO in the fourth round of a light heavyweight fight originally scheduled for eight rounds. Melikuziev won with time of 2:22 of the aforementioned round.

“I was very surprised at how durable he was,” said Bektemir Melikuziev . “But it was a good experience. He was very tough. I needed this to get rounds of experience.”

Canelo vs. Kovalev was a 12-round fight for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title
presented by Golden Boy, Main Events and Krusher Promotions. The event was sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” and Brand-New Grapefruit Crush, Knockout Flavor. The event took place Saturday, Nov. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN. The title clash was one of several highlights this fight season on DAZN – an entire fall featuring boxing’s biggest matchups in one of the best schedules in boxing history.